Irene gave Hudson valuable lessons: Editorial

View full sizeReena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey JournalTropical Storm Irene was a rude visitor but Hudson County was prepared as well as can be expected.

Hudson County was expecting 85 mph winds as Hurricane Irene bore down on New Jersey last week. Luckily, the wind speeds dropped, but Irene was still a formidable force.

This tropical storm forced the evacuation of two medical centers, Palisades in North Bergen and Hoboken University. Two deaths were attributed to Irene locally. Homes and businesses suffered water damage.

There is just so much that can be done with a 500-mile-wide intense storm, but some government performances are worth mentioning.

County and local Offices of Emergency Management acquitted themselves well in Mother Nature's crucible. Equipment acquired from Homeland Security by the county OEM was put to good use when requested by municipalities and agencies like the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue. Besides generators and pumps, the county provided upon request water craft, referred to as duck boats -- 400-pound vessels capable of carrying 16 people.

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer was out the gate by ordering evacuations, and additional shelters were offered by Union City and Weehawken. Zimmer had to act quickly because the Mile Square City is the county community that is most vulnerable to flooding.

North Bergen police were somewhat prescient in shutting Tonnelle Avenue down before Irene struck. When it did, Tonnelle became a river.

Luckily for the county, the heavy rain fell over a 24-hour period, instead of within a torrential two or four hours. This allowed areas with more capable storm sewer systems to keep pace with the downpour. It helped several North Hudson municipalities.

When Irene left, West New York and Weehawken officials toured the Gold Coast development and were pleased with what they saw. It is an area that has never seen such foul weather. These waterfront homes did not exist when Hurricane Floyd inundated the riverbank in 1999, but the new construction has 10 to 12 feet of clearance before any water could reach any living space.

Areas of Jersey City, Secaucus, West Hudson and Bayonne that are susceptible to flooding had no chance. Other than constructing new and improved infrastructure, there is just so much these municipalities can do.

Jersey City capably responded to the storm threat, but there did seem to be a bit of hesitation by City Hall on whether to order people in low-lying areas to get out. Did Gov. Chris Christie's decisions Friday to close part of the Garden State Parkway and order evacuations get the attention of municipal leaders?

An analysis of the response to Irene can only help people better survive future tantrums by Mother Nature.

For instance, North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue learned that two-man teams in several SUVs used as recon vehicles with pumps, generators and saws provided a quick and smart response. The regional agency received 240 storm-related calls and the SUV teams handled each call or called larger units if the job required it. The alternative is using slower and larger fire vehicles, exposing them to damage -- such as water in the exhaust, leading to a possible blown engine and a $30,000 repair.

The county was lucky with this storm, but to paraphrase baseball's Branch Rickey, luck is the residue of design.